Cabin in the Sky '43 LASERDISC-Ethel Waters/Lena Horne

Director: Vincente Minnelli; Stars: Ethel Waters; Release Date: January 05, 1999

At long last, the first serious biography of entertainment legend Lena Horne -- the celebrated star of film, stage, and music who became one of the first African-American icons. At the 74th annual Academy Awards in 2002, Halle Berry thanked Lena Horne for paving the way for her to become the first black recipient of a Best Actress Oscar. Though limited, mostly to guest singing appearances in splashy Hollywood musicals, "the beautiful Lena Horne, " as she was often called, became a pioneering star for African Americans in the 1940s and fifties. Now James Gavin, author of Deep in a Dream: The Long Night of Chet Baker, draws on a wealth of unmined material and hundreds of interviews -- one of them with Horne herself -- to give us the defining portrait of an American icon. Gavin has gotten closer than any other writer to the celebrity who has lived in reclusion since 1998. Incorporating insights from the likes of Ruby Dee, Tony Bennett, Diahann Carroll, Arthur Laurents, and several of Horne's fellow chorines from Harlem's Cotton Club, Stormy Weather offers a fascinating portrait of a complex, even tragic Horne -- a stunning talent who inspired such giants of showbiz as Barbra Streisand, Eartha Kitt, and Aretha Franklin, but whose frustrations with racism, and with tumultuous, root-less childhood, left wounds too deep to heal. The woman who emerged was as angry as she was luminous. From the Cotton Club's glory days and the back lots of Hollywood's biggest studios to the glitzy but bigoted hotels of Las Vegas's heyday, this behind-the-scenes look at an American icon is as much a story of the limits of the American dream as it is a masterful, ground-breaking biography.

At long last, the first serious biography of entertainment legend Lena Horne -- the celebrated star of film, stage, and music who became one of the first African-American icons. At the 74th annual Academy Awards in 2002, Halle Berry thanked Lena Horne for paving the way for her to become the first black recipient of a Best Actress Oscar. Though limited, mostly to guest singing appearances in splashy Hollywood musicals, "the beautiful Lena Horne, " as she was often called, became a pioneering star for African Americans in the 1940s and fifties. Now James Gavin, author of Deep in a Dream: The Long Night of Chet Baker, draws on a wealth of unmined material and hundreds of interviews -- one of them with Horne herself -- to give us the defining portrait of an American icon. Gavin has gotten closer than any other writer to the celebrity who has lived in reclusion since 1998. Incorporating insights from the likes of Ruby Dee, Tony Bennett, Diahann Carroll, Arthur Laurents, and several of Horne's fellow chorines from Harlem's Cotton Club, Stormy Weather offers a fascinating portrait of a complex, even tragic Horne -- a stunning talent who inspired such giants of showbiz as Barbra Streisand, Eartha Kitt, and Aretha Franklin, but whose frustrations with racism, and with tumultuous, root-less childhood, left wounds too deep to heal. The woman who emerged was as angry as she was luminous. From the Cotton Club's glory days and the back lots of Hollywood's biggest studios to the glitzy but bigoted hotels of Las Vegas's heyday, this behind-the-scenes look at an American icon is as much a story of the limits of the American dream as it is a masterful, ground-breaking biography.

THE “DEFINITIVE” (VANITY FAIR ) BIOGRAPHY OF LEGEND LENA HORNE—THE CELEBRATED STAR OF STAGE, MUSIC, AND FILM WHO BLAZED A TRAIL FOR AFRICAN AMERICANS IN HOLLYWOOD AND BEYONDDrawing on a wealth of unmined material and hundreds of interviews— one of them with Lena Horne herself—critically acclaimed author James Gavin gives us a “deftly researched” (The Boston Globe) and authoritative portrait of the American icon. Horne broke down racial barriers in the entertainment industry in the 1940s and ’50s even as she was limited mostly to guest singing appearances in splashy Hollywood musicals. Incorporating insights from the likes of Ruby Dee, Tony Bennett, Diahann Carroll, and Bobby Short, Stormy Weather reveals the many faces of this luminous, complex, strong-willed, passionate, even tragic woman—a stunning talent who inspired such giants as Barbra Streisand, Eartha Kitt, and Aretha Franklin.

Draws on previously untapped sources and first-person interviews to profile the mid-twentieth-century Hollywood actress and singer, evaluating her painful childhood, the challenges she faced as a barrier-breaking African-American performer, and the ways in which she inspired such performers as Barbra Streisand, Eartha Kitt, and Aretha Franklin.

"Don't be surprised, Pussycat, " said Helen Gurley Brown, still flirtatious at eighty-four, "We're all survivors and proud of it. We want to talk about it."And they do. Eighty of America's most famous eighty year-olds reflect on their journeys to the big 8-0 and describe the passions that keep them young. They all have opinions about today's world what is good about being eighty and what keeps them vital. The members of this generation have spent eighty-plus years honing the art of living and they have secrets to share. Their personal stories are truly inspirational."My answer to growing old at any age, whether you're growing to be twenty , or forty, or sixty or eighty, is to fall in love and stay in love." --Ray Bradbury, 86, author"It's interesting to me--my career has taken off now that I'm ninety-five. It's totally taken off. I had to wait 'til I was ninety-five to be this popular." --Kitty Carlisle Hart, 95, singer"I say quite sincerely that this is the best time of my life." --Hugh Hefner, 80, founder and editor-in-chief of PlayboyContributors to the book include:Mike Wallace, Helen Thomas, Sid Caesar, Carl Reiner, Lena Horne, Kitty Carlyle Hart, Ray Bradbury, Art Buchwald, Norman Lear, Robert Byrd, George McGovern, and Jack Valenti.Advanced Praise for 80:"Everyone from 9-90 needs this book, because save for the two or three mad people in the world, everyone wants to live & never die. The selected people in "80" have with, charm and ensusiance revealed how they have survived, with passion, compassion, humor and style. I hope Gardner and Bellows will do another one on 90 - I am in for the long run."--Maya Angelou"80 is the new young! These inspiring stories of vibrant, active octogenarians are the best kind of tonic for warding off worries about old age."--Tom Brokaw"Once, almost nobody was eighty. Now many of us are and more of us are going to be soon. So Gerald Gardner and Jim Bellows give us a wonderful book about being eighty and more."--Jimmy Breslin"A joy to read and a guaranteed attitude adjustment. These people are hope! And Gerald Gardner and Jim Bellows know how to edit down their famous lives to the fearless truths."--Gail Sheehy, author of Passages and Sex and the Seasoned Woman"Jim Bellows' and Gerald Gardner's 80 made me laugh, 80 made me think, and 80 actually made me look forward to reaching and to enjoying that Grand Age"--Mark Shields, syndicated columnist and PBS commentator"80 is the most heartening book on old age I've read since De Senectute (Cicero, you callow sub-octogenarians, Cicero). The 80 old folks in 80 make 80 sound so fascinating, I feel short-changed by being forced to wait until 2010 to be among their number."--Tom Wolfe"I love this book. What a pleasure: great interviews, lovely wise people."--Ånnie Lamott, author of Grace (Eventually): Thoughts on Faith

Hip-oSelect.com, under its Verve Select imprint, proudly announces the release of Lena Horne Sings: The M-G-M Singles Collection, a 16-track set that is just what the title claims: the first-ever retrospective of Ms. Horne's classic, classy singles on M-G-M Records, including her chart single "'Deed I Do, " with most tracks on CD for the first time. James Gavin, author of the acclaimed biography Stormy Weather: The Life Of Lena Horne, co-produced the set and wrote its liner notes. (Stormy Weather is out in paperback April 2010.) Lena Horne may best be known for stunning star turns and cameos in several films of the 1940s, including Stormy Weather, Cabin In The Sky, Ziegfeld Follies and more, as well as her triumphant one-woman show on Broadway in the 1980s. She was a beauty, a captivating singer, a unique figure in popular culture who paved the way for a new black image in Hollywood. In the late 1940s, when M-G-M Records established its record label, Ms. Horne was one of its first artists to record. "Earlier on, people had expected her to sing the blues; instead she leaned toward Porter, Gershwin, and Rodgers and Hart, " writes Gavin. "She handled their complexities with grace and phrased intelligently; her diction was like crystal. A tart edge gave her voice some of its character." Lena Horne Sings includes every Horne single issued on M-G-M, as well as even rarer recordings for the label issued only on international singles and EPs, such as "Something To Live For, " "Pass Me By" and "A Foggy Day." Each track is conducted either by Lennie Hayton, the M-G-M Studios' musical director, or Luther Henderson, a protégé of Duke Ellington. In addition to Mr. Gavin's terrific liner notes, the collection includes detailed track annotations. The nostalgic cover for Lena Horne Sings is based on the original design of a 45 RPM singles box set, while the booklet re-creates images from other rare releases, including a 12-inch LP issued on M-G-M's Lion subsidiary. Rare photos from the era add to the exceptional quality of this collection. The masters have also been significantly restored and remastered for the first time, making a young Lena Horne sound as beautiful as she looked

Glossy all-black MGM musical with Eddie "Rochester" Anderson as a gambler whose soul becomes the prize in a contest between God and the Devil. Lena Horne, Ethel Waters, Rex Ingram, Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington are featured; Vincente Minnelli's first directing assignment. Songs include "Shine, " "Happiness Is a Thing Called Joe, " "Li'l Black Sheep, " more. 98 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English, Spanish, French; audio commentary; theatrical trailer; bonus short "Studio Visit" (1946).